The present invention relates to devices for protection against impact for industrial vehicles, in particular trailers or semi-trailers, i.e., to the so-called “impact guard devices” or “impact guards”, which are used in vehicles of this type in order to prevent or at least counter penetration underneath them of another vehicle of smaller height, for example, a motor car, that might collide with the vehicle of greater height at the back or at the side.
An example of a device of this sort, used as rear guard, is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,010 B1.
The present invention relates in particular to a side-impact guard device that can be used in general in any industrial vehicle and in particular in trailers and semi-trailers.
According to the conventional technique, side-impact guards for trailers and semi-trailers are already envisaged, which comprise at least one bar provided on each side of the vehicle and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, said bar being rigidly connected to the frame of the vehicle.
Experiments conducted by the present applicant have, however, demonstrated that the side-impact guard devices produced up to now are not able to guarantee an adequate safety for the occupants of a motor car that hits an industrial vehicle at the side. An impact at an even relatively low speed produces, in fact, a deformation of the bar that absorbs in part the impact, but is not in general capable of preventing penetration of the motor car underneath the industrial vehicle for a length sufficient not to involve in the impact also the passenger compartment of the motor car.